Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-10-13
THE TARIFF.
Rev. MIR. Atwood Writes Abou, the Reg
listers Position.

Rev. MIR. Atwood Writes About the Reg
listers Position.
10 M Etgor Of The Register.
/ am not a politician, hut | am a tax
payer in the Tn ted States, and interested
IN the mode OF taxation and the amount
have to pay. In your issue OF the 10th
inst. you state the position Of the Reefs
TER on this question as follows:
The REGIsTER believes that if the cOun-
Try can get along without direct taxation
with all its espionage and its complicated
and expensive machinery. by all mtaGs
let the direct taxes be repealed; IL
other words let US kill two birds with one
stone, collect our revenues from imports
and az the same time protect ouT home m
dustries and stimulate American develop
ment.''
In cities, counties and States IL Is the
system, theoretically, at least, TO tax the
citizens according 10 their wealth. IN the
State in which | formerly nved, = citizen
was appointed To 20 through a certain dis
trict and estimate the value OF all the
property in that district and n percentage
wa laid upon this valuation. Before the
tax Was laid a notice was sent to each tax
payer. II he thought any portion Of his
property was valued higher than the same
Kind OF property in the possession Of ms
ueighbOrs, be could 20 before the proper
tribunal and nave il tqualized.
He could always know beforehand how
much tax he had To pay, and what he paid
it for. He could always know whether his
tax was paid or not, and it paid, he could
know when he paid il. This | understand
il called direct taxation, and that this Is
what YOU allude 10 when you say let the
direct taxes be repealed, and instead, col
lect our revenues from imports. | do not
write to object to the change OF method,
but to ask some questions; the answers to
which msy be OF value TO Others besides
myself. Taxing imports, Is taXiDg-not
what people possess, but what they are
going to buy. They are laid al the port of
Entry and paid by the importer. The I'M
porter must lose the amount paid, OF,
he must add it to the price OF the commod-
titles on which it was Laid, together with
the same percentage Of profit that he adds
to the cost of the goods. This same add
ton must he made hy every dealer through
hose hands it passes till it reaches the
consumer. The pays all The
taxes and all the profits 10 all the dealers
For more than fifty Years ] have known
that this operation protects orr home in
dustries, and stimulates American devel
mment" ] know that the man who opposes
this system is n Toe to AMERICAN labor and
an enemy to his country, and therefore |
10 not oppose it. | know further that
men under this system do not know when
they are paying taxes, nor how much they
nav. | know further that in making puI-
chases ut the store the taxes they pay on
the goods they buy often amounts to more
| than the price of the goods. But do not
know hO,C il protects II home Industries,
though | imagine sometimes | can see that
II does protect somebody. As you declare
yourself in favor of collecting all revenues
| by this zystem, please reconcile me to the
| change by explaining how it ''protects our
/ home industries"
To simplify the explanation, please take
some one article that is consumed in near
ly the same amount IN the families both of
the rich and poor. Something that We can
and do produce at home but not in sutii-
cient quantity to supply the want, but
which could he produced in unlimited
quantity by American industry-sugar for
instance. Under this system as II is now,
or was very recently, l 20 to the store
and pay a dollar for sugar. |
think / have bought q dollars
worth of sugar. / have no thought o. pay
ing any tax in this transaction. But !
carry my sugar home and examine the
revenue laws, and find that ! have Onl
~forty-six and q half j464) cents worth Of
sugar, but nave the satisfaction Of finding
also that I have paid 6fly-three and . half
,53I) cents of my annual tax bill. For
twenty odd years | have been buying my
sugar and paying my tax at the same time,
and in these proportions. Please explain
to ME where in this transaction, the pro
lection to nag home Industry comes in. When
/ get a clear understanding of the "modus
~operandi" / will try and make myself rich
by eating sugar.
Yours Truly,
\. l. ATWOOD.
Whsslinu Drtnhar II 1SS